Disposable article liner

ABSTRACT

A disposable article liner such as for bedpans and emesis basins is provided which has a four-ply construction consisting of a base layer of water-disintegratable paper such as tissue or toilet paper stock, an extremely thin coating of polyethylene which serves as a hold-out coating for a subsequent thin layer of a continuous water-insoluble coating which may be made of either wax modified for adhesion and flexibility with 5 to 40% ethyl vinyl acetate polyethylene, or other hydrophobic coating materials such as silicates, silicones or cellulose derivatives such as ethyl cellulose or nitro-cellulose, and lastly, an additional top layer of the same water-disintegratable paper used for the base layer, adhered to the insoluble water-repellent coating. The liner is very thin but of adequate tensile strength and resistance to human excrement but disintegrates in approximately five to ten seconds in contact with water when deposited in a toilet bowl or disposal system. Other waxes, paraffins and coatings of still other water-insoluble materials may be substituted which have the water resistant properties required.

United States Patent [1'91 Laumann DISPOSABLE ARTICLE LINER [75] Inventor: David H. E. Laumann, Freehold,

[73] Assignee: Richard Suren Keoseian, New York,

[22] Filed: Jan. 9, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 790,066

[52] US. Cl. 4/112, 128/284 [51] Int. Cl A6lg 9/00 [58] Field of Search 4/110, 112, 134,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,649,859 8/1953 Hermanson et al.. 128/287 2,896,626 7/1959 Voigtman 128/287 2,897,109 7/1959 Voigtman 161/128 3,036,573 5/1962 Voigtman et al. 128/287 X 3,066,315 12/1962 Huber 4/112 3,070,095 12/1962 Torr 128/284 3,115,644 12/1963 Bloodworth 4/112 3,196,874 7/1965 Hrubecky 128/287 3,249,950 5/1966 Wilson 4/112 3,263,241 8/1966 Saulson... 4/l12 3,475,767 11/1969 Friesen 229/53 X K T/AIWZ 7 [451 oct.9,1973

Primary Examiner-Henry K. Artis Attorney-Jacobs & Jacobs [57] ABSTRACT A disposable article liner such as for bedpans and emesis basins is provided which has a four-ply construction consisting of a base layer of water-disintegratable paper such as tissue or toilet paper stock, an extremely thin coating of polyethylene which serves as a hold-out coating for a subsequent thin layer of a continuous water-insoluble coating which may be made of either wax modified for adhesion and flexibility with 5 to 40% ethyl vinyl acetate polyethylene, or other hydrophobic coating materials such as silicates, silicones or cellulose derivatives such as ethyl cellulose or nitrocellulose, and lastly, an additional top layer of the same water-disintegratable paper used for the base layer, adhered to the insoluble water-repellent coating. The liner is very thin but of adequate tensile strength and resistance to human excrement but disintegrates in approximately five to ten seconds in contact with water when deposited in a toilet bowl or disposal system. Other waxes, paraffins and coatings of still other water-insoluble materials may be substituted which have the water resistant properties required.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures a a m/woa 08.445

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1 DISPOSABLE ARTICLE LINER The present invention is an improvement upon the bedpan liner of my application Ser. No. 738,203, filed June 19, 1968 and relates to a modified disposable bedpan liner (and other products for other uses) which is of 4-ply nature and which is intended to tear and disintegrate on contact with water when deposited in a toilet bowl and flushed, thereby greatly increasing convenience and cutting down on cleaning and sanitizing operations in a hospital or in the home.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a liner in accordance with the present invention having portions broken away at one corner to illustrate the 4-ply construction;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken through a bedpan and showing the liner in initial position therein;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing the liner depressed into position for use;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the liner and contents as removed from the bedpan ready for disposal; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section of a 6-ply form of liner.

It will be seen from FIG. 1 of the drawing that the improved form of bedpan liner 10 of the present invention is 4-ply, i.e., is composed of four layers, namely a base sheet 11 of a water-disintegratable or soluble toilet tissue grade paper, a thin coating thereon of polyethylene or other suitable hold-out coating material I12 and a thin water-insoluble coating 13 (in which wax, prefera bly modified for adhesion and flexibility with 5 to 40 percent ethyl vinyl acetate polyethylene) on one side of coating material 12 and only thick enough to provide a continuous flexible water repellent or resistant surface but which otherwise exhibits extremely little inherent physical strength or stretch or other hydrophobic materials such as silicates, silicones or cellulose derivatives such as ethyl cellulose or nitro-cellulose, and on the coating 13 there is disposed in adhered condition a top layer of tissue paper 14 of toilet tissue grade. While the liner may be made in various thicknesses and sizes and shapes, it has been found that a rectangular, preferably a square shape, about twenty inches in length on each side is best, as this, when used in conjunction with a standard bedpan designated at 15, leaves the four corners of the liner projecting beyond the boundaries of the bedpan and provides simple and convenient means for a nurse or attendant to pick up the liner with its contents deposited thereon after use by the patient and so that the liner may be gathered into a shape approximating that shown at 16 in FIG. 4. The thus gathered liner, with its contents, is then readily removed from the bedpan which has been carried to a toilet or flush disposal system and after depositin g the liner and contents in the toilet for flushing, the bedpan requires a minimum of cleaning or sanitizing. The bedpan liner and its contents of excrement (urine and feces) may be twisted closed after elimination to seal off odors and sight of the excrement and may then be carried to the place where it is to be disposed of, which is usually a toilet bowl and upon contact of the liner and its contents with the water in the toilet bowl, the base paper rapidly begins to disintegrate or dissolve on its uncoated outer surface and this causes rupture and fragmentation of the polyethylene and the waterinsoluble coating as well as the tissue paper top layer while the entire liner and contents can then, after only a very few seconds, he flushed down the toilet or sewage disposal system. In this way, the patient and nurse, for example, are provided with a convenient and greatly improved sanitary means for collecting and disposing of excrement with minimum of malodor and the bedpan itself thereafter requires very little cleaning and sanitizing in contrast to ordinary practices.

It is to be understood that the paper comprising the bottom and top layers is of a toilet or facial tissue grade and is of a type which is known to be water-disintegratable or -soluble after a very short time of contact with water, but the presence of the water-insoluble coating between the layers of paper prevents or retards premature disintegration of the paper on the base side while the top tissue paper layer prevents the liner from sticking to the patients buttocks. When the patient urinates and defecates the top layer of paper in the center of the bedpan will become wet. The moisture will not completely spread to the top or rim of the bedpan and moisten the patients buttocks. Because of this construction, the liner can be used on either side (with either side on the top or bottom). The entire liner is very thin and can be of a thickness of about l/lOOth of an inch or less or, optionally, it may be thicker, if desired, or the tissue paper layer may be fluffy with greater slip. The tensile strength and resistance to rupture of the liner as a whole before flushing is more than adequate for the excrement which it receives.

An alternative construction (see FIG. 5) is to laminate together two sheets of tissue paper 11a on which the polyethylene or other hold-out coating 12a and the water-insoluble coating 13a had been applied. The two sheets are laminated with their coated sides together. Such a construction would achieve double protection against possible leakage of liquid through the coated surface.

Thus, there has been provided a relatively very simple and inexpensive, yet highly useful, product which has great utility and advantage, particularly since hospitals are frequently overcrowded and understaffed. The bedpan may be of any usual or conventional nature and design and while ordinarily made of enameled metal, this does not constitute any limitation upon the invention. When the liner is to be used, it is placed over the bedpan and pushed centrally lightly downwardly into the bedpan while still allowing the four corners of the liner to project beyond the bedpan so that they can be used to pick up and gather the liner into the shape shown in FIG. 4 at the appropriate time. The paper layer 14 not only prevents adherence of the liner to the buttocks of the patient, but prevents the shock of the coldness of the metal of the bedpan from affecting the patient. When the patient has completed elimination, the liner can be gathered together and twisted closed at the top thus sealing off all odor and view of the excrement until it can be carried to the toilet or flushing unit. When the liner and contents are deposited in a toi let, the paper bottom sheet as well as the remaining dry portions of the top sheet rapidly dissolve or disintegrate and the unsupported insoluble coating then has insufficient tensile strength so that it tears and breaks up and unlike an insoluble plastic or wet-strength, insoluble saturated waxed paper sheet or film, it presents no problem to the sewage disposal system.

The foregoing is intended as illustrative and not as limitative and within the tenns of the appended claims, various modifications may be made without departing from the principles described. For example, emesis basin liners and disposable diapers can embody the invention above described as well as various type of wrap for wrapping articles, objects, instruments, etc., and such are intended as additional uses of the new liners. The new liners can also be used for the excrement of pets such as cats and dogs and used in conjunction with a litter" type of container or even on the floor. It should furthermore be appreciated that the polyethylene hold-out coating (or polypropylene or polybutene or other suitable polythene or polyolefin) has its stretch and physical properties broken down by flash treating it with heat, for example, at 275 F. (approximately) at 200 feet per minute before the wax is added or, altematively, by direct coating with wax at a suitable temperature such as 200 F. or somewhat thereabove.

What is claimed is:

l. A four-ply flushable and disposable liner having top and bottom paper sheets and comprising a water disintegratable base tissue paper sheet, a thin polythene hold-out coating on the upper side of the base sheet, a water-insoluble coating on and in contact with the thin polythene coating and a water disintegratable adherent top tissue paper sheet, the liner being so constructed that it is sufficiently strong to hold excrement but rapidly fragments under the amount of water pressure of a toilet.

2. A liner according to claim 1 wherein the polythene hold-out coating consists of polyethylene of a density suitable to prevent the water-insoluble coating from sinking into the paper and rendering it a waxed wetstrength paper.

3. A liner according to claim 1 wherein the insoluble water-proof coating is a combination of ethyl vinyl acetate polyethylene-paraffin-microwax which exhibits extremely little physical strength and which physically breaks up in a disposal system.

4. A liner according to claim 1 wherein the tissue paper is of water-soluble quality.

5. A 6-ply liner having top and bottom paper sheets and comprising a water-disintegratable base tissue sheet, a thin polyethylene hold-out coating on one side of the base sheet, a water-insoluble coating on top of the polyethylene coating and laminated inversely with an identically coated sheet to provide double protection against leakage. 

2. A liner according to claim 1 wherein the polythene hold-out coating consists of polyethylene of a density suitable to prevent the water-insoluble coating from sinking into the paper and rendering it a waxed wet-strength paper.
 3. A liner according to claim 1 wherein the insoluble water-proof coating is a combination of ethyl vinyl acetate polyethylene-paraffin-microwax which exhibits extremely little physical strength and which physically breaks up in a disposal system.
 4. A liner according to claim 1 wherein the tissue paper is of water-soluble quality.
 5. A 6-ply liner having top and bottom paper sheets and comprising a water-disintegratable base tissue sheet, a thin polyethylene hold-out coating on one side of the base sheet, a water-insoluble coating on top of the polyethylene coating and laminated inversely with an identically coated sheet to provide double protection against leakage. 